A letter to this effect was received from the NCP's New Delhi headquarters by the group's de facto leader Chhagan Bhujbal. He has forwarded it to the presiding officers of both Houses of the State Legislature. ``We are now the largest Opposition party in the Legislature,'' said Bhujbal and insisted that the Monsoon Session scheduled later this month is not put off on grounds of the impending election.

The pro-Sharad Pawar group in the State Legislature, that called itself Congress (Rashtrawadi) in the wake of Pawar's expulsion from the Congress, has approached the presiding officers of the Legislature to consent its merger with the Nationalist Congress Party.

The NCP legislature party now has 45 MLAs and 17 MLCs. They had met in the Vidhan Bhavan on Wednesdaywith Madhukar Pichad presiding over the meeting. His resolution that the group be merged with the NCP was seconded by Bhujbal. Both were leaders of Opposition in the undivided Congress and are known confidants of Pawar.

Though a technical formality, it had to be done and we have given the requisite notice to the Speaker, said NCP spokesperson Vasant Chavan, after the meeting. The Congress Legislature Party in Maharashtra was split on pro and anti-Pawar lines immediately after his expulsion and scored a major victory when as many as 45 legislators joined the group. But it could not formally declare itself the NCP Legislature Party till the NCP itself was given recognition by the Election Commission which came earlier this week.

Bhujbal dares Rane

Chhagan Bhujbal, Nationalist Congress Party leader, has called upon Chief Minister Narayan Rane to start implementing against himself the action he has threatened Mumbai's civic corporators with if they are found colluding with encroachers or supportingencroachments.

``Disqualifying corporators is a big thing. But if these grounds are applicable, then Rane should first quit since he has committed the same crime in building his hotels in Chembur,'' said Bhujbal. Rane was caught in a controversy recently as reports appeared in a section of the press that certain slums in Chembur had been moved to make way for a hotel owned by the chief minister's wife by circumventing rules of the Bombay Municipal Corporation. ``Like charity, punishment must also begin at home. Let Rane set the ball rolling from himself,'' said Bhujbal.